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“I didn’twantto look into the vases. I was forced into it by Joan Price-Canal. My brother got into some trouble with her. He owes her a lot of money, and she threatened to kill him if I didn’t help her solve the murders linked to the vases.”
Ryland frowned. “Aaron is responsible for your involvement in all this?”
“Don’t blame my brother. I could’ve said no. I could’ve gone to the authorities.”
“But you didn’t,” he pointed out.
“Well, no. I didn’t want my brother to be in trouble. I can handle it,” she paused. “Or so I thought. How was I supposed to know the vases were coveted by a pack of insane lynxes?”
“This Joan woman, she’s the one who bought your show.”
She nodded and smiled sadly. “I paid as much of my brother’s debts as I could, but it wasn’t enough. Joan basically gave me a loan to keep running my show so long as I solved the murders.” Her entire body went still.
Something clicked in her memory.
“What’s Arabella’s last name?” she asked.
Ryland frowned. “Price. Why?” His eyes went wide.
“Price-Canal,” she whispered.
He went rigid. “The company who bought you out.”
“Joan’s company, yeah. Her last name is Canal. But she sent me to you. To the Blood Moon Agency. She can’t be involved if she tried to keep me safe?”
But Ryland wasn’t listening. “Are you telling me you’ve been dealing with a lynx shifter all this time?” His voice was cold, and his face dark.
“I don’t think so … but maybe? Why would Joan send me to BMA?”
“She sent you to Wilder after the man in black attacked you,” Ryland said. “Could she be a rogue Canal? Is she trying to get the vases for herself? Working against the alpha?” He rubbed a hand across his mouth. “Those fucking vases!”
“Price and Canal. Arabella and Joan. Are they related? Could they be workingtogether?”
He shook his head. “All I know about Arabella is that she works for the museum and that her mother is …” He paused. “Her mother’s health isn’t great. She’s been at death’s door for years.”
Caroline winced. “A daughter looking for the vases to save her mother?”
He hugged out a breath. “She’s the one who told me that Luigi only ever gaveoneof his vases. We now know he gave two.”
“But how could she make a vase vanish?” Caroline pointed out.
“Arabella is in the perfect position to change museum records. She could have stolen the second vase, and no one would know. Not if she’s changed all the documents to reflect that there was only one. She’s been running the place for years now.”
“We need to talk to her.”
“We will,” he said. “As soon as we land. I’ll go alone. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.”
“Nothing will happen to me. Not when you’re around.”
Caroline hugged Ryland as tightly as she could. She closed her eyes and sank into the embrace. There was no safer place. She would stay in this man’s arms forever.
* * *
Ryland insistedthat Caroline stay at his place, but she wouldn’t listen. He would get a few Blood Moon Agency guards to come along with them to Arabella’s place if only to keep Caroline from danger.
Arabella hadn’t killed the two men for the vases. Caroline was sure of it. They still needed to find the culprit, however.
When Ryland knocked on the front door of the museum curator’s home, Caroline hid behind him, but when the woman greeted him warmly, she made her presence known. Arabella’s pretty face fell. “Ryland, what’s going on?”
